ØRSTED (OERSTED), H.C. - THE DISCOVERY OF ELECTROMAGNETISM - FIRST FRENCH EDITION.

Experimenta circa Effectum, etc. Expériences sur l'effet du conflict électrique sur l'aiguille animantée.

Paris, Crochard, 1820. Contemp. hcalf., raised bands, gilt spine with gilt ettering. Stamps to verso of titlepage and to verso of plates. In "Annales". In "Annales de Chimie et de Physique, Par MM. Gay-Lussac et Arago" Tome XIV pp. 417-25. Entire volume offered: 448 pp. and 3 folded engraved plates. Fine and clean, printed on good paper.

First French edition of Ørsted's announcement of his discovery of electromagnetism. It was through this first French edition of Ørsted's original Latin paper, translated by Arago that the founder of electrodynamics, Ampère, first became aware of Ørsted's discovery.

It is the first translation of Oersted's epoch-making announcement in his Latin pamphlet "Extperimenta circa effectum conflictus electrici in acun magneticam. Hafniæ, 1820" (privately printed in a very small number, and only distributed to colleques in Europe). This discovery and confirmation of the connection between 2 forces, electricity and magnetism, must be considered one of the happiest events in the history of science, both with regard to scientific and practical results. - "From the moment that Ørsted's discovery became known it created an enormous sensation. The results communicated were so astounding that they were received with a certain distrust, but they were stated with such accuracy that it could hardly be permitted to entertain any doubts. In the course of a short time the treatise was translated into all the chief languages." (Kirstine Meyer).

Arago was givin a copy of the Latin paper by the Swiss physicist Marc-Auguste Pictet. 4 September Arago announces Oersted's discovery to the Academie. - 11 September Arago reproduces Oersted's experiments.

Dibner:61 - PMM: 282 - Horblitt: 3 b. - Sparrow: 152.

Order-nr.: 48150